Kampilan for info

Ian · 6th October 2025, 12:52 PM

Hi Yves,

There are several anomalies on this piece that lead me to think it may not be a Moro piece. The blade may have been made by a Moro panday but the ensemble does not look Moro to me.

The hilt, as already noted, has been reversed. Part of what would usually be the "upper jaw" of the pommel has been broken or removed, and capped with a nailed metal plate. There are similar nailed plates on the sides of the pommel—overall, I think these are atypical features for a Moro kampilan. Some tufts of goat or horse hair remain on what was once the "lower jaw" of the pommel.

The blade looks shorter than many kampilan (what is the blade length?), which is a feature seen on some Maranao kampilan from the second half of the 20th C. Sometimes Moro kampilan are dressed in Lumad fashion (usually T'boli or Bagobo), and I have seen some of the recent, shorter kampilan dressed in this manner.

Short kampilan-like blades are made by the T'boli and Bagobo groups, but I think this example is probably a Moro blade and not a Lumad blade.

Age is very hard to assess in its present state. After cleaning, it may be easier to assign an age. A cautious estimate at this time would be 20th C.

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6th October 2025, 12:52 PM	#6
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,553	Hi Yves, There are several anomalies on this piece that lead me to think it may not be a Moro piece. The blade may have been made by a Moro panday but the ensemble does not look Moro to me. The hilt, as already noted, has been reversed. Part of what would usually be the "upper jaw" of the pommel has been broken or removed, and capped with a nailed metal plate. There are similar nailed plates on the sides of the pommel—overall, I think these are atypical features for a Moro kampilan. Some tufts of goat or horse hair remain on what was once the "lower jaw" of the pommel. The blade looks shorter than many kampilan (what is the blade length?), which is a feature seen on some Maranao kampilan from the second half of the 20th C. Sometimes Moro kampilan are dressed in Lumad fashion (usually T'boli or Bagobo), and I have seen some of the recent, shorter kampilan dressed in this manner. Short kampilan-like blades are made by the T'boli and Bagobo groups, but I think this example is probably a Moro blade and not a Lumad blade. Age is very hard to assess in its present state. After cleaning, it may be easier to assign an age. A cautious estimate at this time would be 20th C.